


Whatever It Takes To Get Us Through

by paper_back_writer



Series: Not Looking 'Verse [8]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Angst, Domestic Violence, Family Issues, Feels, High School, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Teacher Jared, Werewolf Mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 10:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4218912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paper_back_writer/pseuds/paper_back_writer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><img/><br/>Jared and Jensen wake up, mated...and all they know about each other are their first names. </p>
<p>- Jared starts bringing his work home with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whatever It Takes To Get Us Through

Jared hated to admit it but he did jump in his skin when Aaron knocked on the office door. The door was open, so really Jared should have heard him coming, but he was concentrating on running through his notes on classroom management, and the quiet cool of the coaches office and the gentle roar of recess wafting in through the window, somehow relaxed him so he'd become too absorbed in studying to really pay attention to his surroundings.

He swiveled around smoothly in his chair, expecting to see the boy smirking. Except Aaron looked pale and unsettled, fiddling with the shoulder strap of his backpack. Jared frowned and felt the urge to reach out and hold the kid. "Christ, Aaron. What's happened?"

Aaron seemed reluctant to step forward, and his lips pressed together in a thin line. Jared beckoned him in and got up to close the door behind him, as Aaron sat awkwardly in the chair opposite Jared's place,

Jared sat back down and waited, watching the boy who was looking everywhere but at him. Jared was getting ready to try to nudge Aaron into speaking when the kid finally let go of his trepidation and spoke. "Isaac isn't in school today." His voice was unusually timid.

Jared frowned and folded his arms across his chest. His worry was slowly being replaced with curiosity. After their 'talk' he'd increasingly seen Isaac and Aaron together in less combative circumstances that the first time they had met. They worked better together on the field and seemed to be pretty happy when he saw them talking at Isaac's locker or hanging out on the bleachers. Isaac had even blushed when he'd caught Jared looking at them a couple of times, so Jared had been hopeful that things were going well.

Jared nodded. "I know. His mom called in, I think. Coach said he'd come down with something so he'll missing practice for the next couple of weeks."

Aaron looked up at the ceiling and took a breath. He looked at Jared and shook his head. "I don't..." His skin flushed red around his eyes and he couldn't seem to get the words out for fear of crying.

Jared leant forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs, his hands clasped together between them. "Aaron. Look at me. Just tell me what's happened, okay?"

Aaron nodded and settled himself, before continuing more surely. "My aunt works at the hospital, at the General. She's an surgeon. She called me during my free period. She was asking me about Isaac, 'cause I...I talk about him, y'know? Anyway, she was asking about his home life, and did I ever notice anything unusual – bruises, that kind of thing."

Jared brought his hand up and rubbed at the scruff on his chin. He knew the drill. He'd been on both sides of it at one time or another. He let out a long sigh and stated more than asked, "Isaac's in the hospital?"

Aaron nodded and his chin quivered just a little. Jared thought he was actually holding it together pretty well considering. "Yeah. His mom's saying he fell down the stairs but my aunt thinks she's lying. And his stepdad is such a cu...I mean...he really hates him. Isaac never says anything but he does have bruises that I know he didn't get from practice and sometimes he just seems so tired, y'know?"

Jared almost wanted to laugh out loud, because yes, he did know. Intimately.

He reached over and patted Aaron on the knee, before turning to his desk and gathering his papers together. "First thing I want you to do is not worry. I'm going to go over there now and find out what's going on. Second thing, go to Mrs....what's her name? The councilor?"

"Mrs Caffery."

"Yes. Go to Mrs Caffery's office. Tell her what you've told me, and tell her that I want you to try to remember specific days that you think Isaac has come to school with bruises or acting strange, anything like that, okay?" Aaron nodded, and Jared smiled in a way he hoped was reassuring, as he stuffed the last of his belongings into his briefcase. "He'll be okay. He might not be just now but you did the right thing telling me. Thank you for that."

Aaron smiled back just a little and said quietly, "He says you're the only one that's been able to make him feel safe since his dad died. I figured he'd want you to know. I really hope he's not going to be mad at me."

Jared fought hard to bite back the urge to say something about the rewards of make up sex, given that a) he was a teacher so inappropriate didn't even quite cover it, b) they were minors and shouldn't be even having sex, and c) he wasn't even 100% sure they were even dating yet. Thankfully, he was saved by the buzzer and the clamor of the halls filling up again. Instead, he clapped Aaron on the shoulder and guided him gently towards the door.

 

~•~

 

Jared was grateful for small mercies when he got to the hospital. If it had been anywhere but the General, he would have felt a lot less confident walking through the doors. But as it was, he knew his way around pretty well and took the elevator to the fourth floor, willing the numbers to go faster as they climbed.

Kim was just sinking her teeth into a fat green apple when Jared stuck his head through her open door. She looked up at him when he leaned in and knocked on the door frame, waving him in as she chewed around her smile and indicated to the chair she was pulling her feet down from. He kissed her quickly on the cheek before he plonked his ass heavily onto the chair.

Kim swallowed. "Hey Stranger. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Jared sighed heavily, making Kim's eyes open wide in expectation, before he said blankly, "Isaac Lahey."

Kim swallowed again and put the apple and papers she had been holding on the desk. Her voice was instantly deeper, more professional, and she looked genuinely concerned. "He one of yours?"

Jared nodded. "He's on the team. His friend came to see me. Apparently, his aunt is a surgeon and rang him to get some background. I gather you guys aren't buying the whole "fell down the stairs" story?"

Kim huffed out a bitter laugh. "Do we ever?"

Jared smiled sadly when he said low, "Yeah. Sometimes."

Kim tried to smile back but couldn't quite manage it. Instead, she briefly squeezed his hand before turning to her desk. She knew better than anyone what he had been through at the hands of his father. He'd seen therapists but it had been talking it through with Kim that had done him the most good. The others had tried so hard not to bring his status into it but inevitable him being an Alpha always came up. Kim had just talked to him like the scared, confused boy he had been.

She shuffled some papers on her desk and pulled out a blue file. "I obviously can't talk about it but we are looking into it."

Jared nodded. "Might be worth talking to the school's councilor. I asked Isaac's friend to get a time-line of incidents together with her, plus Isaac may have spoken to her, I'm not sure."

He rattled off the school's number and the relevant names, while Kim wrote everything down. Her pen had some weird bouncing pink pompom on the end of it, which seemed strangely at odds with the topic on discussion. Jared watched it as it bobbed in time with her movements.

Kim sighed and slumped back in her chair, throwing the pen down on the desk with some force. "I hate these ones. It's bad enough that it happens to anyone, but these..." She rubbed both hands over her face, and Jared looked puzzled. Kim shook her head at him. "It's because he's a Were, and the parents aren't. There's still that attitude that he could defend himself if he wanted to, so maybe it was just an accident, or maybe they were defending themselves."

Jared sat back in his chair and looked at the ceiling, muttering under his breath.

Kim sighed. "I know, I know. Things are getting better but still..." She smiled at him and slapped his leg. "Enough of that. This is my problem to sort out. Why don't you go say 'Hi'? I think he's in..." She quickly looked at the file. "Yup. Room 218."

Jared stood, then bent down to wrap his arms around her, swamping her slight form with his body. He kissed her cheek, murmured thanks into her shoulder, and was out the door.

 

~•~

 

Jared involuntarily took a sharp breath when he saw Isaac sitting in the hospital bed. He wasn't sure what he had expected. Isaac's eyes were wide and fearful when he saw him. He tried to pull himself more upright but winced, not actually changing position, and managed to mumble out, "It looks worse than it is." through the swelling but it was only half intelligible.

Jared's first thought was that he looked...colorful. Isaac's skin was a riot of red, purple, blue, black and green. One side of his face was horribly swollen, his eye just a slit and his jaw puffy and black. His upper lip was huge and split, echoing the cuts littered over his visible skin. The forearm that wasn't in a cast was striped with red welts as well as the bruising, and several of his fingers were splinted together. He was wearing a hospital gown and Jared could see the shapeless thing was bulging from the dressings under it in several places.

Jared walked over and stood at the end of the bed. "No, Kid. I really think it is."

Isaac looked away, his chest hitching once. Jared cleared his throat. "So, I'm guessing...baseball bat?"

Isaac looked at him with terror on his face. He'd clearly been told to keep his mouth shut but Jared's wolf didn't give a shit about that. If he needed to use his influence as an Alpha to get to the bottom of this, he would, and didn't give a shit what anyone would think of it. Isaac didn't try to speak, just kept staring until Jared sighed and raised his eyebrows.

Isaac's head shook, almost imperceptibly, and his voice was almost too quiet to hear when he finally managed to get his savaged mouth to form the words. "Pool cue."

Jared nodded. "Nice. The asshole give you a reason, or was this just for kicks?"

Isaac's eyes teared up. "Alpha, please..."

Jared was at his side in two sure steps. He lowered himself down, gingerly placing his palm on the back of Isaac's neck, not knowing if it would hurt him, and gently pressed his forehead to Isaac's temple, saying quietly, "This shouldn't need saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. Whatever he told you, you didn't deserve this. You're not responsible for this. It's all him Isaac. This is his fault."

They stayed there like that, Isaac's chest hitching as he struggled to get his emotions under control, with Jared telling him quietly how brave he was and how he knew how hard it was, and how he wouldn't let anything else happen to him, until there was movement in the doorway, and Jared looked over.

There was a small, tired looking woman stood there wearing a blue-grey shift dress, watching them quietly. She smiled when Jared turned to look at her but the gesture didn't quite meet her eyes. She looked exhausted.

Jared stood as she walked to them, but kept his hand on Isaac's neck. Isaac's body jolted when he saw her, and he coughed out, "Mom..."

The woman held up her hand, and shushed him. "It's okay." She craned her neck looking up at Jared. "You must be Coach Padalecki."

Jared extended his hand. "Jared is fine." She took his hand and shook it. She also tilted her head to the left, exposing her neck. The old school gesture took Jared a little by surprise. He suddenly felt self-conscious, and spluttered out, "Oh, no, Mrs Lahey! That's really not necessary."

The woman blushed and looked a little flustered herself. "I...I'm sorry. It's just...it's been a while." She smiled and seemed relieved when Jared smiled back, adding, "And it's Mrs O'Donnell. Miriam."

Jared nodded. They stood looking at each other for a second before Jared realized that she was expecting him to leave. His wolf wanted to growl just at the thought of taking his hand off Isaac, so he pointedly sat himself in the visitors seat and kept his hand right where it was. He cleared his throat when she finally stopped glaring at him and decided to move to the seat on the opposite side of the bed. "So, Miriam –"

"Mr Padalecki...Jared," Miriam interrupted, putting her palms flat on the bed, smoothing out the sheet, "I want to thank you for coming to visit Isaac but he does need his rest. The doctor has said he's fine to return home tomorrow, and should be back in school next –"

"No." Jared's voice wasn't a growl but it was a close thing.

Miriam took in a sharp breath. "I'm...I'm sorry?"

Jared sighed. "I said. No."

"Jared, I don't think –"

"Oh, thinking isn't the problem here. Seeing. Seeing is definitely your problem." Miriam opened her mouth to speak her eyes glittering with anger and fear, but Jared leant forward and pointed at Isaac. "Look at your son, Miriam. Really look. Look at the blood, and the bruises, and the broken bones. Your home is not a safe place for him to be."

Miriam didn't look. Instead, she closed her eyes tight and started to protest. "I really don't think this is any of your –"

Jared laughed. He didn't mean to but it just barked out of his chest. "Oh, you're right! It's not any of my business. It's _your_ business. Your responsibility. But you're not doing anything about it are you?" He grabbed her wrist across the bed, and she opened her eyes in shock. "I'm sorry, Miriam but if you think this is the worst that it can get, you're wrong. So, so wrong."

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Jared slowly released her hand and sat back, not breaking eye contact with her, and saying gently, "He'll kill him, Miriam. Next time, he could kill him."

She stared at him and for a moment, Jared thought that she was going to deny it again, but Isaac whispered, "Mom?" and it seemed to snap her out of it.

Miriam slowly looked over at him, running her eyes over his battered skin, the cast, and the lesions, and seemed to fall apart right there in front of them. She just crumbled, all the fight going out of her. She lay her head down on the bed next to Isaac like a child, and sobbed and sobbed, as Isaac awkwardly stroked her hair with his splinted fingers.

 

~•~

 

Jared finally made it home about 6.30pm, and was immediately assaulted by the most delicious aroma of tomato, garlic and herbs.

"You're late!" Jensen called from the kitchen. "I was about to start without you." Jared dumped his briefcase and gym bag in the hall next to some boxes that still needed unpacking, and traipsed slowly down the hall to find his mate.

Jensen was barefoot, in light jeans and a black teeshirt that rode up to expose the bare flesh on his hip, as he pulled wide flat bowls from the cupboard. Most of the house was still a mess but the kitchen was painted, stocked and the cupboards full by the end of their first week there. Jensen had insisted on it.

Jared came up behind him, and pulled his back tight against his chest, making Jensen squeak in surprise, nearly dropping the dish-ware. Jared buried his face in Jensen's neck and breathed him in, sighing audibly with each breath.

Jensen went still. "What's wrong? Is something wrong?" He tried to twist in Jared's grip but it was too strong. Jensen waited until Jared's hold relaxed, and turned in the cage of his arms, pushing him slightly back so he look at him, running his fingers over Jared's brow. "Jesus, Jay. You look like shit."

He frowned at Jared, frowning harder still when Jared tried to force a smile, then pulled him in and held him tight against his body until Jared's stomach growled.

Jared huffed out a laugh and pushed Jensen away, even though Jensen whined. Jared shook his head and gestured to the waiting plates, as he went to sit at the small table in the corner of the room. It was already laid with cutlery and condiments, and a plate stacked with garlic bread rounds. They had a dining room and a really nice table to go in it, but they hadn't used it yet. With just the two of them, it felt more homely to eat in the warmth of the kitchen.

"Jay. You're freaking me out. Please say something." Jensen was stood where Jared had left him, leant up against the counter, both hands reaching back at his waist, gripping the edge.

Jared sighed. "Okay, but food, Omega. Please." Jensen scowled but turned, and set to arranging the plates to serve up the spaghetti and sauce, while Jared went through the events of the afternoon.

He'd got through all the pertinent points by the time Jensen placed his pasta in front of him. Jensen's face was horrified as he sat across from him. "God, no, they can't really send him home, can they?"

Jared shrugged and mopped up some sauce with a piece of bread. "I don't know. Maybe. I took Miriam for a coffee in the canteen, tried to talk sense into her about leaving..."

"But she won't?"

Jared shrugged. "She says she can't. She feels like the bastard is trying to do the right thing but just getting, and I quote, 'a little carried away' unquote." Jared shook his head. "I think she does love Isaac, but she loves her husband too."

Jensen sat quietly, stabbing at his plate with his fork for a moment before scraping his chair back and going to the sink. They had talked about the circumstances of Jared leaving home. Jared hadn't been quite prepared to dump all the gory details on his new mate but Jensen was aware of some of it, and that what he had been told only constituted the tip of the iceberg. So Jared knew that Jensen's reaction had more to do with than just Isaac's predicament.

Jensen filled a glass of water and gulped down the whole thing with his back to Jared, glaring out the window into the orange evening light flooding the backyard. He set the empty glass deliberately in the sink, and asked, "Could Isaac leave?"

Jared set his fork down and sat back in his chair. He rubbed his hand over his stubble, wondering how in the hell he was going to start to explain what he had agreed with Miriam.

Jensen turned around to face Jared, stony determination on his face. "Well? Could he?"

Jared cleared his throat. "It's a possibility. I did talk to Miriam about him maybe moving out with her blessing."

Jensen coughed, crossing his arms across his chest, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and back. His voice was ferocious when he spoke, almost eliciting a laugh from Jared, given the poor show he was giving of covering up his insecurity. "Well, unless you agreed to him coming to stay with us, I don't want to hear about it."

Omega or not, there was a fierceness to Jensen that hadn't made sense to Jared until he met his wolf, and Jared could feel the wolf in Jensen's words at that moment.

Jared smiled and stood up. He walked over slowly, saying, "Well, as it just so happens..."

Jensen's mouth fell open. "Oh my God, you didn't –"

Jared put his arms around him and tried to gather him to his chest. "Only on the condition that it was okay with you. And just until Isaac is well enough to decide what he wants to do next."

Jensen shoved at Jared, and half-heartedly slapped his chest. "You manipulative...You wanted me to ask, didn't you?!"

Jared huffed out a laugh and kissed him on the temple. "You overestimate me." He ran his lips down to the corner of Jensen's mouth and breathed out, "And I admit, I under estimate you. How in the hell did I get so lucky?"

Jensen snaked his arms around Jared's neck and pulled their bodies flush together, kissing his mate until they were both short of breath. He buried his face in Jared's neck and murmured, "I wouldn't count your chickens just yet, Alpha."

Jared squeezed him tight. There had been a week or so after Jensen's heat had passed and it became clear that pups weren't going to be happening that year, that Jensen started talking about being cursed, and unlucky. It took a lot of persuasion to bring him around to the idea that Jared could be disappointed in not being pregnant, without being disappointed in Jensen. It took Jensen a while to believe it and longer to come out of his depression, but it was hard for Jared to hear him talk that way without worrying that the malaise was returning.

 Jensen clearly felt his anxiety, and tried to reassure Jared by kissing his neck and pulling away, saying chirpily, "Okay then. Well, now you've got your sneaky way, why don't we eat before the pasta is ruined, and you tell me all about our house guest?"

 

~•~

 

The following afternoon, Jared was almost at the front door, before it was flung open and a rather breathless Jensen started jabbering, "I'm so sorry I was upstairs just finishing some stuff, and I didn't hear the car..." He trailed off when he saw what Jared had in his hands.

Or rather in the one hand that wasn't carrying an overnight bag. His other hand was wrapped around Isaac's waist. Isaac's arm was slung over Jared's shoulder, the cast rasping roughly at his neck, as they walked/limped slowly to the door.

Isaac still looked like something out of a horror movie and Jensen couldn't tear his eyes away for a second. He did get with the program eventually and grabbed the bag from Jared as they crossed the threshold. He smiled weakly at Isaac, blurting out, "Your room is all ready. Well, it's basic, not fancy. You can arrange it how you want when you're feel a bit better, but it should be okay for now," before he scuttled off up the stairs with Isaac's luggage.

Jared smirked. "So, that's my mate, Jensen, if you haven't figured that out."

Isaac blinked up after Jensen in wonder, as they took the first step. "He's so pretty." His voice was swimmy and drawling, and Jared couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, Buddy. No more painkillers for you until _much_ later." Isaac whined, but kept ascending the stairs under Jared's gentle urging.

They made it to the bedroom without too much loss of dignity on anyone's part, and got Isaac into bed with only a small loss on his. But then they figured he was so high, he wouldn't remember flashing the neighbors when he woke up.

Jared sat with him, talking low and stroking his bangs out of his eyes until he fell asleep. When he finally heard Isaac's breathing slow down and even out, he glanced up, to find Jensen leaning in the doorway, watching them with a soft look on his face. Jared went to him, pulling him into his arms.

Jensen laid his head on his Alpha's chest and asked, "Are you going to make a habit of this?" Jared pulled Jensen's head back gently by his hair so he could see his face. Jensen smiled at the perplexed look Jared was wearing, and chuckled. "I mean, bringing your work home with you. Is that going to be a thing?"

Jared huffed out a laugh and kissed him. "No. No, I don't think so."

But his eyes did flit across the hall to the closed door, knowing that behind it was a bright yellow room, painted with dancing animals, scattered with stuffed toys and pieces of an unfinished crib, that somehow felt less like a black hole that might suffocate them now there was another sleeping boy in the house, and he really didn't want to promise anything.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> First, I should be giving you all the apologies for this taking so long, but I'm not sorry coz I've been wrestling the BB and it's been kinda exhausting! I wish I could have got to this sooner but it's here now so...
> 
> Second, I did think I was going to be writing the bit when Jared's dad comes to dinner but I felt that actually this stuff needed to happen first...but hopefully there will be Jeff next time : )
> 
> Thirdly, (I should really stop numbering stuff) Couple of things - Isaac is just 16 in this, I think, but I might retcon that later if I need to. Kim was a nurse but works now in more of a Were liaison/social worker type capacity, just in case that's confusing (I know doing this is sloppy but I haven't found a place to introduce this stuff yet. Apologies).
> 
> Lastly, this is unbeta'd so if you spot anything glaringly wrong/horrid, please let me know so I can fix it. Happy to receive a pm if you don't feel comfortable leaving it in the comments.
> 
> I do NOT give my permission for this, or any of my other works to be posted or linked to outside of Fandom.


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